How technology has transformed medicine
Technology has undoubtedly changed every aspect of our lives,
especially over the last two hundred years, and in no industry is that
more evident than the field of medicine. For thousands of years, people
have been tinkering, designing, and exploring in an attempt to unlock
the mysteries and complexities of the human body. Over time, machines
began to play a larger role in medicine, as innovators developed new and
better ways to diagnose and treat injuries and illnesses. As healthcare
continues to evolve, so does medical technology and its use in every
aspect of the care continuum. History is full of examples of how technology has revolutionized medicine; here are just a few of the most important innovations in the history of medicine.
Stethoscope
No other symbol identifies a doctor more than a stethoscope. For centuries physicians relied on percussion and auscultation – listening to chest sounds and heartbeats by pressing the ear to the chest – to assess cardiac health. Invented by Rene Laennec in 1816, the stethoscope was groundbreaking because it led to better descriptions of heart sounds and improved ability to distinguish among various murmurs and rhythmic disturbances, as well as respiratory and gastrointestinal functions. The stethoscope has become the singular symbol of physicians and has become one of the most trusted tools that physicians use for physical diagnosis.
Diagnostic Imaging
A machine that also transformed the way doctors diagnosed and treated diseases is the X-ray. Discovered by Wilhelm Roentgen in 1895, X-rays allowed physicians to peer deep into the body without exploratory surgery. The use of x-rays quickly expanded, including to the treatment of cancer, until it was found that the radiation cause severe burns and was linked to actually causing cancer. Safety measures were developed and soon scientists were building off the technology to create other devices such as computerized tomography, also known as CT or CAT scans, magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI, ultrasound, and positron emission Tomography (PET).
Electrocardiography
For hundreds of years, scientists and physicians studied the effects of electricity on the human body and developed ways to use it in the diagnosis and treatment of injuries and diseases. In the late 1800s physicians attached wires to various points on the body to record patients’ heartbeats, but the real breakthrough came in 1902 when Willem Einthoven used his string galvanometer – the earliest form of an ECG machine - to record the first electrocardiogram. Einthoven won the Nobel Prize for his discovery and electrocardiography (ECG) is still considered one of the most reliable tools for measuring the rate and regularity of heartbeats, detecting defects and damage to the heart, and the effects of drugs or devices used to regulate heart rhythm.
Germ Theory, Vaccines and Antibiotics
Some of the most important discoveries that revolutionized medicine were not machines, but rather discoveries of how the disease process works in the body and how to treat and prevent illnesses. Louis Pasteur is often credited with establishing the germ theory of disease, but scientists and physicians for centuries believed that microscopic organisms were the cause of diseases and could potentially be killed or treated with natural substances. As this understanding grew, Pasteur built on the discovery by Edward Jenner in the 1770s that small amounts of a live virus could be injected into a human to prevent that person from becoming infected with the disease. Widespread use of the vaccines led to the near-eradication of once-epidemic diseases such as cholera, smallpox, polio, and tuberculosis. Then in 1928, Alexander Fleming discovered that penicillin was effective in destroying certain types of bacteria. These discoveries revolutionized medicine and led to broader uses of germ-killing agents beyond the practice of medicine.
These are just a few examples of how technology has changed medicine and every day scientists, physicians and innovators continue to develop new devices, drugs and procedures that allow people to live longer healthier lives. The use of technology is expending into the business of healthcare, with the widespread adoption of electronic medical records, use of mobile devices and telemedicine, and the electronic exchange of health information. With everything else, medical technology is going smaller – nanotechnology is being developed in everything from drugs to implants to surgical tools. As we look to the future of medicine and remark on the innovations being discovered today, it is important to recognize and pay homage to the forward-thinkers that paved the way for modern medicine.
No other symbol identifies a doctor more than a stethoscope. For centuries physicians relied on percussion and auscultation – listening to chest sounds and heartbeats by pressing the ear to the chest – to assess cardiac health. Invented by Rene Laennec in 1816, the stethoscope was groundbreaking because it led to better descriptions of heart sounds and improved ability to distinguish among various murmurs and rhythmic disturbances, as well as respiratory and gastrointestinal functions. The stethoscope has become the singular symbol of physicians and has become one of the most trusted tools that physicians use for physical diagnosis.
Diagnostic Imaging
A machine that also transformed the way doctors diagnosed and treated diseases is the X-ray. Discovered by Wilhelm Roentgen in 1895, X-rays allowed physicians to peer deep into the body without exploratory surgery. The use of x-rays quickly expanded, including to the treatment of cancer, until it was found that the radiation cause severe burns and was linked to actually causing cancer. Safety measures were developed and soon scientists were building off the technology to create other devices such as computerized tomography, also known as CT or CAT scans, magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI, ultrasound, and positron emission Tomography (PET).
Electrocardiography
For hundreds of years, scientists and physicians studied the effects of electricity on the human body and developed ways to use it in the diagnosis and treatment of injuries and diseases. In the late 1800s physicians attached wires to various points on the body to record patients’ heartbeats, but the real breakthrough came in 1902 when Willem Einthoven used his string galvanometer – the earliest form of an ECG machine - to record the first electrocardiogram. Einthoven won the Nobel Prize for his discovery and electrocardiography (ECG) is still considered one of the most reliable tools for measuring the rate and regularity of heartbeats, detecting defects and damage to the heart, and the effects of drugs or devices used to regulate heart rhythm.
Germ Theory, Vaccines and Antibiotics
Some of the most important discoveries that revolutionized medicine were not machines, but rather discoveries of how the disease process works in the body and how to treat and prevent illnesses. Louis Pasteur is often credited with establishing the germ theory of disease, but scientists and physicians for centuries believed that microscopic organisms were the cause of diseases and could potentially be killed or treated with natural substances. As this understanding grew, Pasteur built on the discovery by Edward Jenner in the 1770s that small amounts of a live virus could be injected into a human to prevent that person from becoming infected with the disease. Widespread use of the vaccines led to the near-eradication of once-epidemic diseases such as cholera, smallpox, polio, and tuberculosis. Then in 1928, Alexander Fleming discovered that penicillin was effective in destroying certain types of bacteria. These discoveries revolutionized medicine and led to broader uses of germ-killing agents beyond the practice of medicine.
These are just a few examples of how technology has changed medicine and every day scientists, physicians and innovators continue to develop new devices, drugs and procedures that allow people to live longer healthier lives. The use of technology is expending into the business of healthcare, with the widespread adoption of electronic medical records, use of mobile devices and telemedicine, and the electronic exchange of health information. With everything else, medical technology is going smaller – nanotechnology is being developed in everything from drugs to implants to surgical tools. As we look to the future of medicine and remark on the innovations being discovered today, it is important to recognize and pay homage to the forward-thinkers that paved the way for modern medicine.
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